Mayor's arrest sought over release of 10 dogs

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. (AP)  An Arkansas mayor who ordered 10 Humane Society dogs let loose in a national forest is wanted on animal cruelty charges after a special judge issued an arrest warrant.

The warrant was issued Friday for Helena-West Helena Mayor James Valley. Circuit Judge David Henry found reasonable cause to arrest him over accusations that he obstructed the Humane Society of Southeastern Arkansas from caring for the animals.

Valley told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he released the dogs 2 1/2 weeks ago in the St. Francis National Forest after residents complained that the makeshift animal shelter at the city's sanitation department was inadequate. The shelter consisted of nothing more than cages, he said.

Officials say that about half of the dogs have been found and that two or three others were shot by a resident who saw them on his land.